NICOSIA, Cyprus — Adult tube site xHamster has released a net neutrality “explainer," covering likely outcomes should the FCC repeal net neutrality regulations.
The goal of the document, xHamster officials said, is to get apolitical porn fans to understand how the regulations will negatively affect the business — from ISPs and slow loading speeds to financial struggles for performers and small website owners.
xHamster will be using its site to raise public awareness and direct political action against the FCC over the next several weeks.
Below is the explainer:
Your Porn Could Be Blocked
Yes, you heard that right. If FCC kills net neutrality, your internet service could block your access to xHamster. Right now, under the existing net neutrality rules, your ISP (the cable company, the phone company or whoever provides your internet) is prohibited from discriminating against particular sites. If it’s on the net, and it’s legal, they have to let you access it — for now.
If the regulations are repealed, companies like Comcast and Verizon get to decide what sites you can see, and at what speeds you can access them. We’ve seen private corporations like Marriott or Starbucks block porn sites entirely in response to public pressure, moral panics or crusading legislators. If net neutrality is repealed, the same could happen at the ISP level. Nearly 20 state legislatures have passed legislation declaring porn “a public health crisis” — it’s not unreasonable to think that bigger porn sites like xHamster would be the first targeted.
Many Porn Sites Would Go Bust
Under net neutrality, your ISP can’t make one site load more slowly than another. Thanks to net neutrality, the video you watch on YouTube loads at the same speed as the one on xHamster, or the website of your favorite performer.
If net neutrality is repealed, your ISP could charge sites more if they still want to load quickly, and punish those that don’t pay with much slower speeds. Sites like YouTube and Netflix would likely be able to pay. But small, niche sites? Performer driven sites? Amateur sites? Sexy clown giantess sites? They’ll have to operate more slowly, making them difficult to use. Small producers already have a hard time making ends meet — if net neutrality passes, many would likely be wiped out all together.
Say Goodbye to Porn on Your Phone
You better like lugging your laptop to the bathroom. Companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T are already sensitive to data use on phones. Ever try to use the internet when data is limited, like in-flight Wi-Fi? We’d expect to see similar restrictions on phones, with many porn sites potentially blocked or becoming unusable, unless you — or the sites themselves — pay up.
What You Can Do
FCC Chairman — and former Verizon lawyer — Ajit Pai is planning on repealing net neutrality in mid-December. So between now and then, there’s a lot of work to do to stop him. First, call or tweet your representative. They have the power to change this, and free internet guide Battle for the Net makes it super easy.
Second, share this and raise awareness. Not everyone is as woke as you are (now). We get over two billion visits a year — if we could translate that into a block, “the xHamster vote” could be the deciding factor for net neutrality … and beyond!